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At Utility Helpline we will always look to find you the right deal, at the right rate, for your business and your business gas requirements.  However, there are always things that you might look to do as a company, to reduce your usage, thereby cutting bills in another way.  Naturally your staff don’t see – or pay - the bill, and might therefore be rather less minded of energy waste as in their own home.  However, if you start to push the agenda within your own company - and look to involve everyone in this process - it might turn into something of a holistic, even rewarding, team-building endeavour! Energy efficiency certainly is a team effort… just the same as bringing in business itself.  In fact, having a positive approach to your energy use will actually help you win new business, as it will contribute to the way customers see you and your company as you contribute, in a positive way, to the environment.  So here’s a 10-point plan for how to involve the whole company to save energy.

1. Encourage the staff to switch off electric equipment such as lights… even the kettle… when not being used.
2. You might even wire up your premises to different circuits, so parts of the building can be effectively switched off when not in use.
3. Alternatively, consider dimmer lights, or LED lighting for communal areas, which are much more energy efficient.
4. You’ll sometimes find that staff are unsure as to whether they’re allowed to do the switching off, so make sure you explain that such switching off it is perfectly acceptable, even to be encouraged.
5. Information and education.  Let employees know about the importance of saving energy, and good energy practice, both in terms of the business and the environment.  This might be managed at staff meetings, or with promotional posters around the premises.
6. You might also put up posters celebrating successes in waste reduction, perhaps posting stats about such reductions.
7. Practical steps.  Run an energy diagnostic on your business.  Is the boiler old and rickety?  Could it be replaced by a model that’s more energy efficient?  And the business premises… might they benefit from better insulation to prevent the warmth escaping and draughts encroaching?  And how about double-glazing the windows?  This will all help save money on your bills immediately.
8. Turn off all machinery when not being used.  Equally, if staff see a machine not in use, they should also turn it off themselves… even if that's a desktop PC.
9. Celebrate good practice, perhaps nominating energy champions within the business, who have come up with the most innovative way of saving energy.  This might also work to publicise what you are doing, and encourage further good practice amongst the staff.
10.  Of course the brokers at Utility Helpline can also help give you advice on many other aspects of responsible energy efficiency, and help you with your energy usage.

So to conclude, such steps certainly stand as good practice, in terms of environmental responsibility.  However, they will help you in very real terms with your bills… perhaps by as much as 25%!